Gate-hietge



0.- B. BURNHAM.

GATE HINGE.

TTTTE %TATFZ% C. E. BURNHAM, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

GATE-HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, C. E. BURNHAM, of Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Gate-Hinge; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a front or face view of a gate with my invention applied to it, the gate and hinges at one side being bisected vertically in order to show the construction of the latter. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line 00, as, Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is a detached side view of one of the plates that are attached to the gate posts, and which have the inclined planes attached and the steps that receive the pintles which are connected with the gate.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in having pintles fitted in sockets and attached to each end of the gate and having plates with double inclined planes and steps attached, secured to the gate posts, the pintles being acted upon by springs connected to levers and the whole arranged as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the gate may be made to swing at either end, the pintles serving in the capacity of both hinges and catches, either as may be desired.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invent-ion I will proceed to describe it. i

A, represents a gate which may be constructed in any of the known forms, and of either wood or metal. B, B, are the two gate posts. To each end of the gate A, two sockets a, a, a, a, are attached. These sockets are vertical tubes connected by arms 5, to plates 0, which are screwed or otherwise secured to the ends of the gate, the arms Z), being of sufficient length to allow the sockets a, a, a, a, to project a suitable distance from the ends of the gate. In the upper part of each socket a, a, a spiral spring (Z, is placed, and within each socket a pintle or rod 6, is placed. The lower ends of these pintles are pointed and they are slotted at their upper parts longitudinally as shown at f. Within the slots f, of the pintles or rods 6, the ends of arms 9, fit. These arms project horizontally from vertical rods 72,, which are fitted vertically in 21,989, dated November 2, 1858.

grooves 2', made in each end of the gate, the rods it, being allowed to slide freely up and down in the grooves. The springs (Z, bear on the upper ends of the pintles or rods 6, and have a tendency to keep their lower ends a certain distance below the lower ends of the sockets a, a, said distance corresponding to the position of the lower ends of the grooves 2', in the ends of the gate. The arms g, pass through slots made in the sockets a, a. To the upper arms g, of the rods 6, e, levers j, j, are attached, one to each, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The fulcra 7c, of the levers are on the tops of the stiles Z of the gate.

To the gate posts B, B, attheir sides which face the ends of the gate, plates are secured by screws or other proper means. The plates m, are placed nearly opposite the plates 0, and to each plate m, a double inclined plane cl, is attached, the inclines extending down from each side of the centers of the plates, a short horizontal portion 6, being at the summit of the inclines. These horizontal portions 6, are perforated to receive the ends of the pintles or rods 6, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The sides of the inclined planes (Z, areprovided with vertical ledges a.

The operation is as follows: The pintles e, of the sockets at either end of the gate may be used as hinges or catches, as desired. For instance, suppose the gate A is to be opened toward the left, either inward or outward, the inner end of the lever j, is depressed and the rod h, will consequently be elevated, the arms 9, of said rod raising the pintles c, e, in the sockets a, 64, until the lower ends of the pintles are out of the perforations of the portions or steps 6, at the summit of the inclined planes cl, the gate may then be opened in the direction above named the pintles of the socket a, serving as hinges.

In order to open the gate toward the right the lever 7', is actuated so that the pintles c of the sockets a, will be raised out of their steps, the pintles c, of the sockets a, serving as hinges. Thus it will be seen that the gate may be opened at either end as may be desired.

I would remark that the pintles e, are allowed to move upward in the sockets a, a, without affecting the arms 9, of the rods h, for the arms 9, lit in oblong slots in the pintles and the springs (Z, keep the pintles down as far as they are allowed to descend, consequently the pintles 6, may move upward a distance corresponding to the length of the slots f. This independent movement of the pintles allows them to pass readily and with but little friction up the inclines 03, into the steps 6.

To the lower parts of the gate posts B, B, horizontal plates a*, are attached, said plates extending directly over the lower sockets a, a, and preventing the gate being elevated by animals so as to be unhinged. The plates a", may be attached directly to the posts B, B, or to the plates m, the parts being so arranged as to permit of the plates (4*, and m, to be connected.

By this invention several important ad vantages are obtained. In the first place the gate is prevented from sagging for both ends are supported alike. The device is perfectly simple, may be cheaply constructed. and as it may be opened at either end and made to swing-in either direction, and both inward and outward it can be opened in either way most favorable for articles to be passed through it and it may also be readily lifted from its bearings or unshipped so that articles may pass between the posts that are nearly equal in width to the space between the posts, the gate being removed entirely, of course can offer no obstruction.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

The pint-les e, placed within the sockets a, a, that are attached to the ends of the gate A, in connection with inclined planes (Z, and steps 6, attached to the posts B, B, the springs (Z, acting or bearing on the pintles c, and the levers j, 7', or their equivalents connected to the pintles through the medium of the rods h, and arms 9, the whole being arranged to operate substantially as shown and described;

C. E. BURNHAh/I.

WVitnesses VVM. E. KNIGHT, HARRY WV. Born. 

